A poster hung in a building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in December 2025. Photo Credit: Jackson Stocker
By Jackson Stocker ‘27
The Commonwealth Fund said that there were about 26 million US Citizens who did not have health insurance in 2023. That’s 8% of the population, and this number is only going to rise. It is expected that the amount of uninsured Americans will rise by about 15 million by 2034.(John Hopkins) Healthcare needs to be affordable to all U.S. citizens, but because of how the government is currently deciding what to fund, changes in the system, and the choice to not renew the Affordable Care Act, this goal is going to be harder to achieve.
The largest obstacle is the cost to our already-endebted government. The United States paid about 138 billion dollars on the ACA in 2025. According to the Fiscal Data Treasury, the US is 37.64 trillion dollars in debt to other countries, organizations and other internal accounts. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says that the government spent 24 percent (1.7 trillion) on four medical programs, and 13 percent (872 billion) on defense. However, healthcare should not be neglected because of it.
Most of the United States is affected by the Affordable Care Act. According to the Medicare Rights Center, of the 5.2 million people ages of 50-64, 92% of them will see higher premiums. In response, enrollment for these marketplace coverages will drop from 23 million to around 15 million in 2030. In addition, 4.2 million people will lose their coverage completely, leaving them with no way of getting care if something happens.
Medical coverage will be harder to get because of changes in the system. The Affordable Care Act ending in 2026 will cause premiums to go up at least 75%. According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg school of Public Health, the enrollment end date for government funded insurance is also shortened from January 15th to December 15th. Last year, at least 40% of people applied in January. Another change is that coverage is now only offered to citizens, green card holders and immigrants in specific regions, cutting coverage for many who were previously eligible.
The Medicare Rights Center says, “To that end, we urge lawmakers to extend the enhanced PTCs without delay.” We need to stop people from losing coverage because of the cost of care. If you can, contact your representative and express your opinion. You could support organizations that believe in healthcare reform, anything helps.
Affordable Health Care in America is Becoming Harder to Obtain
Photo Credit: Jackson Stocker
By Jackson Stocker ‘27
The Commonwealth Fund said that there were about 26 million US Citizens who did not have health insurance in 2023. That’s 8% of the population, and this number is only going to rise. It is expected that the amount of uninsured Americans will rise by about 15 million by 2034.(John Hopkins) Healthcare needs to be affordable to all U.S. citizens, but because of how the government is currently deciding what to fund, changes in the system, and the choice to not renew the Affordable Care Act, this goal is going to be harder to achieve.
The largest obstacle is the cost to our already-endebted government. The United States paid about 138 billion dollars on the ACA in 2025. According to the Fiscal Data Treasury, the US is 37.64 trillion dollars in debt to other countries, organizations and other internal accounts. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says that the government spent 24 percent (1.7 trillion) on four medical programs, and 13 percent (872 billion) on defense. However, healthcare should not be neglected because of it.
Most of the United States is affected by the Affordable Care Act. According to the Medicare Rights Center, of the 5.2 million people ages of 50-64, 92% of them will see higher premiums. In response, enrollment for these marketplace coverages will drop from 23 million to around 15 million in 2030. In addition, 4.2 million people will lose their coverage completely, leaving them with no way of getting care if something happens.
Medical coverage will be harder to get because of changes in the system. The Affordable Care Act ending in 2026 will cause premiums to go up at least 75%. According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg school of Public Health, the enrollment end date for government funded insurance is also shortened from January 15th to December 15th. Last year, at least 40% of people applied in January. Another change is that coverage is now only offered to citizens, green card holders and immigrants in specific regions, cutting coverage for many who were previously eligible.
The Medicare Rights Center says, “To that end, we urge lawmakers to extend the enhanced PTCs without delay.” We need to stop people from losing coverage because of the cost of care. If you can, contact your representative and express your opinion. You could support organizations that believe in healthcare reform, anything helps.
Sources:
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/surveys/2024/nov/state-health-insurance-coverage-us-2024-biennial-survey?scrlybrkr=1f5d9498
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/national-debt
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/the-changes-coming-to-the-aca-medicaid-and-medicare
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/unsustainable-path-future-american-health-insurance# https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go#:~:text=Defense:%20Another%2013%20percent%20of,development%2C%20testing%2C%20and%20evaluation.